Prepare To Hate Me
by Peregrine Princess
Summary: Until recently, Red X has made his presence scarce, only appearing every once in a while to steal something valuable. Lately, he's set his sights on something a little different: not money or jewelry, but Starfire of the Teen Titans. Red/Star/Rob BB/Rae?
1. Chapter 1

**Full Plot Summary**

It has been years since the Red X suit has been stolen, and the villain behind the mask has yet to be identified. Until recently, Red X has made his presence scarce, only revealing himself every once in a while to steal something valuable, and almost every time, has been able to easily breeze past each of the Titans thanks to the fact that the suit was designed especially to counteract each of their powers. Lately, he's set his sights on something a little different: not money or jewelry, but Starfire of the Teen Titans.

It is clear to the Titans that he is only after one thing (if you catch my drift :D), and cleverly uses her relationship with Robin to confuse her. The fact that the masked hero is so unhealthily obsessed with his work continues to push his alien admirer further and further away, and Red X takes advantage of this fact. Eventually, he comes to find that what he feels toward Starfire is slowly becoming something more than simple lust, and he begins to grow frustrated. Meanwhile, Starfire is beginning to see that her feelings toward Robin are more destructive to her than she could see before Red X pointed it out, and much to her horror, finds herself seeking out the mysterious villain rather than trying to fight him.

**Chapter One**

The clear azure sky over Jump City began to warp into a wash of soft pastels as the late-summer sun prepared to make its descent beyond the horizon, bathing the metropolis in its final rays of warmth. Titans Tower, home of the city's beloved teen heroes, stood silent guard in the midst of the orange and pink hues reflected on the surface of the bay it loomed over. The water was calm, mirroring the nature of the recent uneventful weeks. In terms of crime fighting, the past couple of weeks had been relatively quiet for the young heroes, who were recently growing more restless as the days passed.

Cyborg had even grown tired of washing, waxing, and detailing the T-car, things he normally did with obvious enthusiasm. Even Beast Boy was beginning to grow bored of playing video games and constantly beating his own high score on Mega Monkeys 3. Raven, as usual, had made her presence quite scarce around the tower, but even she seemed more irritable than usual around the other Titans. Robin spent more of his time behind closed doors, and even Starfire had given up on suggesting to go out for pizza, or renting movies for movie nights.

Needless to say, the Titans were all praying for even a sign of trouble.

Most of the Titans were off in different areas of the spacious tower, with the exception of Cyborg and Beast Boy, who sat beside one another on the large gray couch battling each other for the high score on a video game. Starfire could hear their shouting and bickering from the kitchen, where she had just finished tidying up. It had been her turn to wash the dishes that evening, and she'd decided that since she had nothing better to do that she would organize the cabinets and refrigerator. Cleaning out the fridge had been a particularly frightening task, and Starfire thought that it may have been one of the worst-smelling, most bio-hazardous locations on earth, and no matter how hard she tried she was unable to get rid of the horrible, foreign smell. Still, after throwing out tons of unidentifiable substances, including things that looked like they might be alive, or had been at one point, it looked much better than before. After washing her hands thoroughly she exited the kitchen, making a beeline toward her room.

On her way to her bedroom, she found herself thinking about Robin. She hadn't seen him all day, and she was slightly worried about him. It wasn't a secret that the fearless leader of the unruly band of superheroes was somewhat of a workaholic, and would likely work himself to death without the intervention of his friends. And the Tameranian princess was certain that the lack of criminal activity would not have affected the Boy Wonder's obsessive habits. Quietly passing up the metal door labeled "Starfire," she turned into the hallway containing Robin's room. Reaching the door, the red-head raised her arm and knocked on the door, but there was no response. She knocked one more time before confirming that he wasn't inside, then about-faced and headed for the training room. Ninety-nine percent of the time, if he wasn't in his room, he was training.

Her relationship with Robin had grown increasingly confusing as time passed. She wasn't confused about her feelings; she had long been aware that she cared about Robin as something more than just a friend. She was more confused about his feelings concerning her. She sometimes felt that he shared her affections, and liked her the way she clearly liked him. But there were times that she wondered if he cared more about his duties than he did about his friends, and her. And as much as she respected that and tried to give him his space, it hurt her as more than anything. Finally arriving at the training room, the alien stuck her head through the open doorway only to find that it was empty. Pursing her lips, she decided to check one more place. Ninety-nine percent of the time, if Robin wasn't in his room or training, you could find him in the evidence room.

Knocking lightly on the thick door labeled "Evidence" and calling his name softly, she listened for the reply that she was almost sure would follow. Sure enough, she got the response that she was hoping for.

"Come in," he said, a slightly irritated edge to his voice. Starfire complied, entering the dimly-lit room slowly, the door sliding shut behind her. The masked hero looked up from a stack of folders to look at her before looking back down at his work. Robin without a mask was a rare sight to see, but she felt that she could wait a million years just to catch a glimpse of those electric blue eyes.

"What?" the boy asked, glancing up again, and Starfire realized that she had been staring at him. She then realized that she didn't really have a reason for seeking him out other than to make sure he was still alive. Having reassured herself, she decided that now would be a good time to ask him about their relationship.

"Robin, I—" she was interrupted by a shrill siren as the pair were suddenly bathed in the red light of the alarm. Cyborg's voice sounded over the intercom, calling the team to gather at Operations.

"Sorry, Star." Robin mumbled as he rushed past her, darting out of the room and disappearing into the hallway. With a dejected sigh, the alien princess followed.

They rushed into the room where the rest of the team was waiting and Cyborg quickly began to brief them on the mission. There wasn't much information other than the fact that it was a robbery and all the guards had been knocked unconscious. The identity of the suspect remained unidentified.

"Great. Okay, Titans, let's go." Robin had immediately shifted into leader mode. The teenagers filed out of the room, the girls through one entrance and the boys headed for the garage. All seemed grateful to hear the sound of the alarm after such over a week of silence, the exception being Starfire, who was much more quiet and aloof than usual. No one seemed to take notice, except for Raven. Looking at her friend, she could sense the princess' discomfort and apprehension. Raising an eyebrow, the empath began to think of ways to approach the situation as the duo neared the roof.

"Starfire, did you clean the fridge?" Raven asked, knowing that if she asked directly if something was bothering her, the silently-enduring warrior would simply insist she was fine.

"What? Oh, yes, I did." Starfire answered, taken aback by the sudden question. Raven was never one for casual conversation, and this was certainly an odd time to talk.

"Looks good. As good as it's ever been." the pale-skinned girl complimented, further confusing her friend.

"Thank you, friend Raven." Starfire replied, unsure of what else to say. As they finally reached the roof, the two girls were silent. When Starfire was sure that the brief conversation was over, she took to the skies with Raven not far behind. Not realizing just how fast she was going, Starfire rocketed ahead in a green flash, leaving her teammates in her wake.

Raven turned her gaze south as she heard the cry of an eagle, and watched as Beast Boy joined her in the sky. The green fowl was looking at her, and even seemed to be giving her a questioning look. Raven simply shrugged and looked down at the ground, where the other two boys had manned their respective vehicles and were speeding toward their destination at a frightening speed. Her indigo gaze settled on Robin, his cape flapping wildly about behind him and the R-cycle. Raven didn't need her empathic powers to see that Starfire's distress had something to do with their mysterious masked leader. It was no secret, how they felt about each other, and if the alien was ever upset it usually had something to do with Robin.

Starfire arrived at the scene long before her friends. As her feet landed smoothly on the ground, she looked up at the large building that stood over her. The windows were barred, and she could tell that the place was high-security. Looking back, she saw her friends approaching in the distance. Then she decided to do something that she wouldn't normally do: she proceeded alone. This was the sort of thing that Robin usually did.

Stepping inside of the dark building, she squinted through the darkness and spotted two limp bodies. She cautiously scoped the room the best she could, her eyes adjusting to the dark, before quickly checking the guards. They were unconscious, but didn't appear to be severely injured at all. She knew that it took skill to take someone down without damaging them, and took extra care as she continued to search the first floor. She had cleared the first floor in no time, and ascended up the nearest flight of stairs, opting to fly rather than walk. She kept her eyes and ears open for any sign of movement.

Beast Boy and Raven realized that their red-headed teammate was nowhere in sight, even as they began to close in on the building. Their eyes swept the area for Starfire, but there was no sign of her. They realized that she must have gone ahead, which was extremely out of character for their friend. Raven's indigo eyes met Beast Boy's forest green ones, each mirroring the others' concern. Of course, they knew that the warrior princess was perfectly capable of handling herself, but there was obviously something strange about her actions as of late. Raven landed in front of the building and searched for Starfire's energy as Beast Boy landed right behind her, morphing back into his human form. The two stayed where they were as the sound of revving engines drew nearer.

Meanwhile, inside the building, a masked thief had shut down the defenses with little difficulty, and was making his way toward one particular item placed conveniently in the center of the room. It was a necklace, but it was nothing like your average piece of jewelry that you would find at a normal jewelry stand. It was far larger, and far more valuable. Lifting the glass casing that covered the pendant, he carefully slipped the necklace into one of the compartments on his belt and turned around, surprised to come face to face with a gorgeous pair of emerald-hued eyes.

"Do not move." Starfire commanded, standing her ground between Red X and the only exit. Red X smirked behind his mask. He admired the girl's spunk; they both knew that he could easily defeat her, especially since her teammates were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, hey, Cutie. It's been a while." the villain mused, moving to take a step around her. In response, the alien's hands formed into tight fists, each surrounded by an orb of solar energy. The dark room was immediately illuminated with the bright green light, which allowed him to have a better look at her.

"Not long enough, I fear." the alien replied calmly, then after a short pause, "Do not call me that."

"Call you what? Cutie?" Red X couldn't help but chuckle as he looked her up and down. He was definitely glad that he was wearing a mask. "What's the matter? Is that something that only Robin can call you?"

Starfire visibly flinched as his accusation seemed to strike a sensitive nerve, and her eyes burned with the same solar energy that powered her starbolts. Red X raised his hands defensively, his open palms facing the angry hero. This girl had the brightest eyes he had ever seen, quite literally.

"Listen, _Starfire_. I really don't have time to fight you, so I'm just going to—" He was interrupted as a blast was heard outside of the building, causing Starfire to look toward the barred window, her eyes still glowing. Red X took the opportunity to pin her against the wall using a sturdy x-shaped restraint. Starfire gasped as she was flung backwards against the wall, knocking the breath out of her. She looked down and realized that both of her arms were pinned down. Great.

"Well, I'd better get goin'." X chuckled, obviously full of himself. Before leaving, he stepped forward, nearly closing the distance between their bodies, and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Until next time, Princess."

With that, he turned and flipped down the stairs, not giving her another chance to blast him. Why she hadn't done so before was beyond him, and he settled with the notion that she had been startled by the sudden loud noise outside. Little did she know that "next time" would come much sooner than she anticipated.

_____________________

**Author's Note**

Well, folks, that was chapter one. I hope someone enjoyed it, I know that the Teen Titan's fanbase has shrunk in size since the conclusion of the television series, leaving only the most loyal fans. I'll admit that it has been a while since I've written about Teen Titans, but I assure you that I remain an avid fan. I don't watch much television, so the Teen Titans series was basically the only thing I watched, back when it still played on Cartoon Network. Recently I've decided to pick up where I left off (sort of) with my Teen Titans fanfictions, although all of my old writings were so terrible that it was actually embarrassing for me to read over them.

Anyway, I'm sorry that it's so short. I'll try to make the next few chapters longer. I'm sort of using this chapter as a test guinea pig, to sort of figure out how to upload stories.

If you liked it, please review. And, if you absolutely hated it, please review. If you have constructive criticism, or would like to tell me how terrible I am, and how mediocre my writing is, review. I promise, my feelings won't be hurt.

Thanks again for reading, and I will definitely respond to any and all reviews I receive, when I can.

Deuces,

Crystal


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Both the T-car and the R-cycle came to a skidding halt as Cyborg and Robin finally arrived at the scene, just under five minutes since the alarm sounded. The two looked around, both carefully analyzing the scene when they noticed that something was missing.

"Where's Starfire?" Robin asked, concerned. Raven looked up at the building as a familiar green light poured out of a window on the third floor. Instantly, Robin made a dash for the front entrance.

"Wait." the half-demon warned, but her words didn't even slow him down. A solid shadow barrier appeared in front of the masked hero, stopping him in his tracks. Robin turned around, sending the indigo-haired girl an aggravating glare. Raven allowed the dark wall to disappear, seeing that it had served its purpose. She could feel her team mate's aura from inside the building, steady and calm. But there was another presence, outside of the building that had captured her attention.

"Raven, we don't have time for this." he looked up at the third-story window as the vivid light continued to steam out from between the bars. He took one hasty step forward before he was stopped again.

"Wait!" Raven called again as waves of violet energy rippling from out of a nearby ally. Swearing, Robin barely ducked out of the way as a violet-haired girl stepped out from between two buildings, placing a hand on her hip. The energy expanded as the rest of the Titans stepped quickly out of the way, hitting a parked car and causing it to explode, shooting flames in every which direction.

"Hey, Jinx. You missed." a nasally voice called behind her, and a short boy stepped out of the shadows to stand beside his comrade.

"Shut up, Gizmo." Jinx growled, sending the boy an icy glare. He cringed away from her gaze as if it physically hurt him, chuckling nervously before turning to face the Titans again.

"Hey, where's the alien girl?" a deep voice asked, and Mammoth took his place on the other side of Jinx. Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at each other. Hell, if they knew.

"Whatever. At least the odds are a bit more even, now." Jinx mused before cartwheeling toward the Raven with a delighted smirk on her face. The empath put up a dark shield as the violet-crowned villain spun around with her arms spread out, firing waves of energy out of her palms.

Mammoth charged at Cyborg and Robin recklessly, not unlike an enraged bull. They dodged the attack easily, but were taken aback when a car was thrown at them, approaching them rapidly. Cyborg managed to leap out of the way just in time while Robin flattened himself against the pavement. The two rose to face their powerful opponent.

"Eat this, ya' little— Wahh!" Gizmo stared wide-eyed at the not-so-little green tiger glowering at him not ten feet away. Suddenly, he pressed a button on his harness and deployed a pair of missiles at the changeling, sending him through the air before he landed lithely on his feet several yards away.

The battle went on for a couple of minutes, the juvenile villains managing to keep the Titans separated, for the most part. They had to admit that they were lucky that Starfire wasn't around; it would have proven much more difficult against five than it was against four. Just when they were starting to get over-confident, and just when the Titans were beginning to get tired, a barrage of green starbolts shot toward the troublesome teens, effectively halting their attacks.

"Ugh! That stupid alien is here." Gizmo sneered at no one in particular, then looked up at Jinx, who had backed away from the worn out half-demon. Gritting her teeth, she flipped into a nearby alley.

"That's enough, for now." she said as she made her retreat, the boys following her silently. They had been close to a victory—painfully so—but now that they were tired and at an even greater disadvantage, it was best to save it for later. The rest of the Titans looked up at Starfire as she lowered herself onto the ground with an expression of concern on her face.

"Starfire! You're safe." Robin ran toward her, relief evident in his voice. He stopped directly in front of her and she watched as his expression changed from placated to furious. "Where the hell were you?"

Starfire blinked, surprised at the harshness of his words. Robin received pointed looks and even bitter glares from his teammates, all of which went unnoticed as he kept his masked gaze intently on Starfire. Just as she was about to respond, he turned away from her and hopped onto his motorcycle, speeding away from her before she even had a chance to answer his question. The red-head stared after him until he turned the corner, out of sight. Fighting tears as she lowered her head, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and knew exactly who it was without having to look.

"He didn't mean it. You know that." Cyborg assured her soothingly, and she was instantly filled with gratitude. She was so lucky to have such kind friends. She looked back up, forcing a smile onto her face, but the others were clearly unconvinced as they looked at her through sympathetic eyes.

"I had a confrontation with Red X." she said simply, trying to save herself from the humiliating pity-party. It seemed to work as the three teens around her looked at each other, finally sparing her of their unflinching gazes.

"Red X? You're sure?" Raven asked her, although she knew that Starfire wouldn't pass on information unless she was sure.

"I am certain. He was the reason that I could not come to your aid sooner." she nodded, slowly feeling herself fill with rage. All of this was his fault!

"What did he steal, do you know?" Beast Boy added, asking himself the same question the others were thinking: Were Jinx, Gizmo, Mammoth, and Red X in league with each other?

"I do not know— A necklace, I think." she shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Her thoughts and emotions were all buzzing about inside her, bouncing off of the inside of her skull and rib cage, crashing into one another at deadly speeds. Raven sensed her frustration and motioned for them to head back to the tower, already sliding into the passenger seat of the car.

"Raven! I called shotgun!" Beast Boy whined as he slid into the backseat with Starfire.

"Beast Boy, shut up." Raven replied in her usual monotone, rolling her eyes as Cyborg silently started the engine and began driving toward the tower.

___

Starfire sat in her usual spot on the roof, her feet swinging back and forth as they dangled off the edge of the tall tower. She had lost track of how long she had been sitting there, but she had been there for a while and still her thoughts conflicted each other. Her thoughts were dominated by the two masked men she had recently been confronted with; the villain who annoyed her greatly but also had never technically harmed her, and the boy wonder who was so intent on protecting the city that he failed to protect himself from his own workaholic tendencies. Not only that, but he seemed to be getting more and more volatile lately, taking his anger out on the people around him. And Starfire, it seemed, always happened to be the one standing too close.

"Star?" She looked up as Robin took a seat beside her. His face was perfectly calm and serious. This was the face that Starfire had grown to love, opposed to the frightening, angry expression he carried more often.

"Yes, Robin?" Starfire replied, trying on her best "perfectly fine" façade. Somehow, she knew that it wouldn't work, just like it never did. There was a pause, and she was beginning to wonder if he had anything to say to her at all.

"Listen, Star. I'm sorry, about the way I treated you." Robin started, and he couldn't look at her anymore without feeling even guiltier. He knew exactly what she was going to say as he stared out over the horizon, lined with dark skyscrapers against the night sky.

"It is fine, Robin—" she stopped as he turned to face her again, this time his face was dangerously close to hers. She held her breath.

"No, Starfire. It's not fine." he sighed and removed a stray piece of hair from her face and continued. "I don't have the right to treat you that way. No one does."

Robin didn't think that it was possible to hate himself anymore than he did at that moment. He cared about Starfire more than anyone—more than he could ever even begin to try to explain—and he also hurt her more than anyone. He was at a loss; he didn't know why he did it, and he had begun to think that maybe he cared for her a little too much.

"Cyborg told me what happened." he continued, looking away again. Starfire could breathe again, but she longed for the proximity they had briefly shared. She watched with concern as Robin gritted his teeth. "Did he hurt you?"

"Red X? No, he did not." Starfire answered, wondering why he had asked. Robin looked back at her with a small smile, pleased that his attempt to change the subject had worked.

"That's good. I'm really glad you weren't hurt, Star." Robin told her truthfully. Red X was a dangerous criminal, and she could have easily been hurt, especially when she was by herself.

Starfire smiled at him and finally had to look away, afraid she might start blushing. She stared up at the moon, which looked bright and full from their perch on top of the tower. Robin gazed at her affectionately; she was always beautiful, but the moonlight seemed to highlight her natural beauty, it's silver glow reflecting off of the sun-kissed skin of her pixie-like face. He wanted nothing more than to hide her away from the rest of the world, to keep her all to himself.

"Robin, could you come down? We need to talk about the necklace that X stole." Cyborg's voice cut through the silence. There was still a bit of an edge left over from the rather merciless lecture he had given his leader. "And bring Starfire."

"We'll be there." Robin stood and held a hand out for Starfire to take, helping her up. The pair left to meet Cyborg and most likely the rest of the Titans. As soon as he entered the room, Robin was in work mode. "What is it?"

"That necklace that X took? It wasn't an ordinary piece of jewelry." the rest of the Titans listened up as he began speaking. "It had a diamond on it, called the Warp Diamond. It's basically condensed energy, and lots of it."

"Then shouldn't it have been someplace, you know… safer?" Beast Boy asked cluelessly. Raven nodded in agreement.

"Something that powerful should have been stored somewhere with higher security." she added.

"Exactly how much power does this diamond contain?" Starfire inquired. She was confused; Red X had never done anything in the past that suggested he was interested in purposely harming others.

"With the right technology, he could warp time and space. Ultimately, destroy an entire city." Cyborg replied, thinking the same thing. It just didn't compute; before now, it seemed to him that X was only interested in stealing things for personal benefit.

"Then we have to get it back." Robin stated, and the team knew that he couldn't be stopped.

_____________________

**Hey, again. Sorry it took so long for me to update. I just started learning how to drive, and my social life is trying it's best to kill me. Alas, I'm still alive, and writing as much as possible. I think what really took me so long was the fight scene, though. (I know, it really isn't much of a fight scene. It downright sucks.) I haven't done one in so long that I guess I've lost my finesse. But, with practice I should get pretty good at it again. Not that I was really good at it in the first place. Well, I'm gong to go ahead and do what I did with Stardust and publicly respond to my beloved reviewers.**

**RoseXxxXThorn**** — Hey, you were my first review **_**ever**_**. I hope you feel special. I'm glad I'm stuck with you, because you make me feel "awesome." Haha. Thanks so much.**

**cascadedkiwi**** — Well, here's the next chapter. I'm not sure you'll understand the title until further into the story, though. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, anyway.**

**sparklebluelemon**** — Thank you for supporting my stories. You're great. Thanks for reviewing so much, it really does motivate me.**

**angelitaramos2102**** — Well, I finally did update. I hope you still like it. Thanks for the review, hun.**

**RobStarPenguin**** — Well, the rest is coming. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed Chapter Two. By the way, I love penguins.**

**Random**** — Thanks for reviewing both of my stories. You should totally make an account. -wink-**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Days had passed since Starfire's encounter with the mysterious Red X, and there had been no trace of him since. The tower had once again fallen into a state of restless silence, the alarm sounding perhaps once a day, if even that. In fact, many of the Titans were beginning to believe that there was no longer anything to worry about; after all, Red X had never done anything to suggest that he 'had it out' for the Titans. Not a sadist, like Slade had been; he was more of an anarchist, who liked to do these things for attention. Or, so it seemed; Red X was possibly one of their most elusive criminals, showing up every once in a while without warning, and disappearing for long periods of time in the exact same way.

As for Robin, he had become obsessed with the Warp Diamond and its potentially destructive powers. He was normally holed up in his room, trying to find out more about the diamond and coming up with possible reasons that Red X would want to destroy the city, ignoring his teammates' pleas to stop worrying so much. How could he _not_ worry? He was responsible for Red X. Why couldn't anyone understand that?

And Raven, well, she was still trying to hold on to what little sanity she had left while dealing with it all. She could sense it all—Robin's obsessive fury, Starfire's distress and concern. And who couldn't feel the restlessness emanating from the two boys now battling it out on the couch in the common room?

The empath tiptoed around the kitchen, as not to be detected by the two bickering boys only a room away. She had run out of herbal tea, and had come back to restock her room with enough to last her for another few days. Unfortunately, all she found was one box with only one tea bag left inside, which meant that another shopping trip was in order. Oh, joy.

"Damn it!" Raven jumped at the sound of Cyborg's booming voice, nearly dropping her ceramic teacup on the floor. "Alright, you little snot, I _know _you're cheating!"

"I'm not cheating," Beast Boy declared triumphantly, and Raven rolled her eyes as she imagined the smug look that was surely on his face at that very moment. "I'm just the king of Mega Monkeys."

"Whatever, man. You _are_ a mega monkey." Cyborg mumbled, prompting a "what?" from Beasty boy and an aggravated sigh from Raven as she poured some hot water into her cup, over the tea bag.

"Want a rematch?" Beast Boy proposed, and raven swirled the bag of spices and herbs around in her steaming cup, watching as the water became murky.

"Naw, man. I've had it with your cheating. I'm gonna kick your ass in Space Race." Cyborg responded, evoking a groan from his green companion. Raven discarded her soggy tea bag and made her way silently toward the door, peaking out at the two boys. Cyborg was up, switching out the games on the console. "That's right, you're going down."

Now, if only she could sneak past without being noticed… She made a break for it, floating a few inches off the ground in order to make less noise. She glanced back at Cyborg and Beast Boy when she was halfway there. Yes! They hadn't even spotted her, and she was almost home free.

"Huh?" Beast Boy looked back suddenly, and Raven's hopes shattered. She'd been caught. "Hey! Raven!"

The green boy raised his hand and beckoned her over, patting the seat beside him as Cyborg looked up at her with a grin. Raven stared at them both with wide eyes. How did they know she was there? She had been completely quiet!

"Hey, Raven, wanna play?" Cyborg asked, holding up another controller. Raven shook her head, but Beast Boy had jumped over the back of the couch and was already dragging her toward the sofa as she tried to keep her hot drink from spilling all over her.

"I said no! Get your hands off of me, Beast Boy." Raven growled, twisting away from him. But, too late, Cyborg had shoved the extra controller into her free hand. With a sigh, Raven closed her eyes and tried to think of reasons why not to knock these two boys out.

"Come on, Raven, just one round." Beast Boy pleaded, plopping back onto the couch beside Cyborg.

"No."

"C'mon!"

"Why don't you just ask Starfire?" Raven asked, trying to give the controller back. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Starfire in a while. That might have been normal for Robin, but normally Starfire was all over the place, looking for things to do.

"Nah, she's actually good…" Cyborg mused after a moment of thoughtful silence, and Beast Boy nodded in agreement.

"What? Why, you—" she raised the controller above her head, aiming precisely for Cyborgs big, shiny head…

"Hey, has anyone seen Star?" the three Titans looked up at the sound of their leader's voice, speechless. Well, this was a shocker; Robin was looking for Starfire. Normally, it was the other way around. The boy wonder stood in the doorway, arching an eyebrow at the strange looks he was receiving from his teammates. "What?"

"N-nothing. Uh, I don't know, I haven't seen her in a while…" Beast Boy scratched his head and shrugged, looking at Cyborg and Raven, who were also clueless as to the whereabouts of their Tamaranian friend.

"Try her room." Raven suggested, figuring that if she was still in the tower she was probably there, or perhaps on the roof. Robin nodded and left the room to search for his friend.

"Dude, what was that all about?" Beast Boy asked, looking back at Raven and Cyborg, who were both still looking at the empty doorway.

"Hell, if I know." Cyborg muttered, turning back around to face the television. Raven shrugged and dropped the controller on the seat beside him and left the room before she could be dragged back into playing video games with the two banes of her existence.

___

Starfire sighed as she rearranged the clothes in her closet. She was bored out of her mind, but for some odd reason she didn't feel like meditating with Raven or playing games with Cyborg or trying to talk to Robin. For some reason, she just wanted to be alone. And that was strange, for Starfire. She held up a pair of yellow shorts that she couldn't remember buying and placed them in with her other shorts, between an orange and a green pair. Her closet had been organized by brand name, but she was now arranging them by article type and color. Sure, it wasn't exactly a "normal" thing for a teenager to do, but she there was nothing else to do.

Hearing a clicking noise, she looked up to see that her window was open, blowing her sheer lavender curtains about in the soft breeze. She narrowed her eyes; she hadn't opened her window. Enveloping her fist in a starbolt, she approached the open window with caution. She stuck her head out and glanced about quickly, and, seeing nothing decided that it must have just been one of Beast Boy's silly pranks. With a sigh she pulled her head back into her room and shut the window, locking it. Now, where was she… oh, this white v-neck—

"Hey there," a familiar voice drifted smoothly from behind her, and she turned around with a surprised gasp, her hands aglow with green energy. "You're a really lucky girl, you know that?"

"How did you—" She caught sight of her curtains from the corner of her eye, rippling in the breeze. Then, his statement seemed to sink in. She narrowed her eyes. "I am… lucky?"

Red X chuckled softly and took a step forward, almost casually.

"You're lucky that it's just me, and not someone more dangerous." He clarified, but her face contorted into an adorably confused expression. "Maybe that Cyborg should update the security around here."

Not someone more dangerous? In all honesty, Red X was an extremely formidable opponent, and very dangerous. Potentially, at least; now that she thought about it, he had never really physically hurt her. Perhaps that was what he meant? That he wasn't dangerous to her. But it still didn't make sense. Why was he doing this? Her eyes darted toward the door. On the wall, beside the door, was an alarm switch.

"Gonna call your friends on me?" he asked, and she could hear the smugness in his voice. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. What did he want? If she rang the alarm, he would be gone before her friends would get there and she would never find out. She was on her own, again.

"No." she sighed, but her hands remained cloaked in the bright green glow of her starbolts. Behind his mask, Red X's smile widened. "What do you want?"

"With what?" he asked, almost innocently.

"Why did you steal the Warp Diamond?" she specified, and he pulled the necklace out of his utility belt, holding it up in front of him.

"You mean this?" he shrugged. "Just heard of a few other criminals who wanted their hands on it, and figured I'd beat 'em too it."

Starfire stared at the necklace, the green light of her starbolts sparkling in its cut surface. For some reason, that just didn't seem to compute; weren't criminals supposed to do things for personal gain? Perhaps they were desperate for money, or just thought they needed extra cash… or maybe revenge had something to do with it. Not just because they wanted to "beat someone to it."

"Why?" she asked, still confused.

"Because, I'm a thief. I steal stuff. That's just what I do." He answered her with a laugh, then tossed the necklace to the side, where it landed in the middle of her bed. Starfire finally lowered her hands, no longer glowing with green energy. Now she was even more confused than ever. "I did it because it's fun."

She looked at him through bewildered, wide eyes. He'd come back to return the warp diamond? She couldn't make sense of anything, but for some reason she felt that there was something heroic about the act. Red X couldn't be the bad guy everyone thought him to be. He actually had proven himself to be as good-natured as herself, or any of her friends, despite his rather lawless acts in the past. But how could anyone find pleasure in stealing things? Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her door.

"Starfire?" Robin called from the other side of the steel door, but she didn't reply. Her gaze remained on the mysterious masked criminal standing before her. From the looks of it, he wasn't worried by the fact that the leader of the Teen Titans was on the other side of the door; instead, he looked rather calm (or at least, as much as Starfire could tell, with the mask obscuring his face). "Star?"

"Just a minute!" the red-head called frantically, turning her head to face the door. Then, she heard Red X's voice, almost as low as a whisper.

"I'll see you around, Cutie."

When she turned around to face him again, the spot where he had been standing was empty, and the curtains were still blowing softly in the wind. She shook her head and quickly went to close the window, locking it again. She was going to have to bar that window, or something… she went to answer the door when she remembered the necklace. Oh, how was she going to explain this one? In the blink of an eye she was hovering over her bed, snatching up the necklace and shoving it beneath one of her purple pillows, thinking it best to keep it to herself, for now. Then, she went back to get the door.

* * *

**Hey, everyone. Wow, it's been… about five months since I last updated, and I'm afraid I haven't been following up on my promises to update quicker. The truth is my social life is a lot busier this year than it normally is, and school is still kicking my ass (excuse my French). But, since it's the break I decided that I would give everyone as many chapters as I can cram into a week. Hopefully it'll be more than just a couple, but I don't want to break any more promises. Anyway, I want to thank everyone for their support. I've been getting a lot more recognition and reviews than I thought I would, and you all have no idea how much it means. Cause it means a lot.**

**I only have one request for you all: if you have any suggestions on how I could improve my writing, they would be greatly appreciated. Like all writers, my aim is to get better at it, so I'll take all the criticisms you can throw at me. Even flames, if you must. Thank you all for your support, patience, and reviews.**


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